How do I know if I'm schizophrenic? How does dementia manifest in men, women and children?

Schizophrenia is the most common disease, which is characterized by a chronic and progressive course, with a gradual change in a person’s personality and impairment social adaptation.

Timely detection of the disease helps to prescribe treatment in a timely manner, so the important question is how to determine schizophrenia in a person.

When does the disease begin?

Schizophrenia first appears in at a young age(from 15 to 25 years). There is usually a hereditary predisposition.

Close people begin to notice a change in character, the teenager withdraws into himself, becomes emotionally distant, and loses interest in his former hobbies.

Since such symptoms are not severe at first, they may go unnoticed for some time.

Schizophrenia can have many variants of its development. Sometimes the disease progresses slowly and has no obvious signs before personality changes occur. The sudden onset of all symptoms is possible. The onset can be triggered by drug use, alcohol use or a stressful situation.

Carrying out differential diagnosis

Diagnosis of schizophrenia is sufficient difficult process, and when making a diagnosis, diseases that may occur with similar symptoms. For this patient, a doctor is observed for six months, conducts interviews and communicates with relatives.

To clarify a number of points, additional research is being conducted:

1. MRI. It allows you to exclude the presence of tumors in the brain, as well as identify features of the functioning of brain structures that indicate certain diseases.
2. EEG. Helps to understand whether there are changes in electrical activity, especially its increase, which can occur with epilepsy.
3. Rule out vascular diseases (atherosclerosis, impaired venous outflow).
4. The patient undergoes certain psychological tests, allowing you to assess the state of memory, thinking, disruption of certain brain structures.
5. The condition of all body systems is assessed, including a cerebrospinal fluid analysis.

On this moment There is a test that allows you to make a diagnosis with almost 100% confidence. It is based on how to identify schizophrenia by the eyes.

It has long been noticed that a patient with schizophrenia does not smoothly follow objects that move slowly with their eyes. It is also very difficult for him to focus his gaze on a stationary object for a long time.

Main symptoms

To make a diagnosis such as schizophrenia, there are diagnostic criteria; the disease is considered confirmed if there is one pronounced or two less pronounced manifestations:

1. The patient believes that someone is getting into his head and watching his thoughts, as well as investing others’ thoughts.
2. A person has a clear opinion that someone is influencing him from the outside, forcing him to take certain actions or think in a given direction.
3. The patient perceives the words and gestures of other people incorrectly, and sees in them a secret meaning that actually does not exist.
4. There are auditory hallucinations. The voices he hears arise in his head or other parts of his body.
5. Constantly arising and repeating overvalued thoughts or delusional ideas.
6. Thinking is torn, and speech is intermittent. The patient is prevented from concentrating by other people's thoughts, which are inserted into his head from the outside.

Making a diagnosis of schizophrenia takes a long time and is a complex process.

Childhood schizophrenia

Schizophrenia is most often diagnosed in adolescence and adulthood. But as an exception, it can also occur in children. How to identify a disease in a child so as not to miss pathology and start treatment in a timely manner?

When diagnosing, symptoms come first. You should pay attention to disorders associated with the baby’s behavior and changes in his character. The disease is characterized by indifference, passivity and lethargy, lack of initiative, and complete helplessness. In another variant, the currents develop unfounded fears, suspiciousness, anxiety.

For clarification, the use of narcotic drugs, which can give a similar picture as in a child with schizophrenia, or damage to brain tissue.

The peculiarities of childhood schizophrenia are that it most often begins with minor manifestations, which gradually lead to changes in character and behavior.

Therefore, if loved ones see some strange things, they cannot immediately understand what is happening to their baby. The process continues continuously, and without assistance, the patient quickly degrades.

How do doctors understand that they are dealing with a patient with schizophrenia? By external signs it is not always possible to determine “schiza”, so experts use whole line tests. The most popular of them are presented below.

Instructions (important!): When answering a question, be guided by your feelings, not logic.

So the question is:

“Is the mask convex on one side or both?”

Correct answer:

The mask shown in the image is convex on one side only

“Does the mask rotate one way or both?”

Correct answer:

The mask rotates only to the right.

Analysis of results

If you answered both questions wrong- hurray, you are absolutely healthy! Artificial forms and shadows in the picture mislead the brain, and it shows a healthy reaction - it “completes” reality and, therefore, makes mistakes. In our favor:).

If the correct answers were given to both questions... The brain of a schizophrenic cannot analyze the whole picture and complete reality. As a result, a person sees the mask only as it really is. Such a person is, of course, unhealthy.

But don't rush to conclusions! Let's figure it out. Did you really see NOTHING other than a convex mask rotating in one direction? It is quite possible that you simply answered at random or saw an illusion, but still decided to get to the bottom of the correct answer, looked for a long time and came to a conclusion. Besides, optical illusion will not work if you have been drinking or under the influence of drugs.

There is a third conclusion - you... genius! A brilliant person has the thinking of both a healthy person and someone with schizophrenia, and is able to instantly switch between them. In our case, the genius will see the illusion (healthy reaction), but will be able to figure out what’s going on and where the mask is rotating (schizophrenic reaction). Moreover, if he wants, he will simply stop accepting deception once and for all!

Important Note: the results of all tests on this page do not diagnose you with 100% accuracy; this can only be done by a qualified specialist or a medical consultation. Please treat the results as food for thought and not as a diagnosis!

... Not so long ago, a new test for schizophrenia was developed in the UK - the “Chaplin Mask”. Look at the image below and tell me - is the back of the mask convex or concave?

Correct answer:

A healthy person will see that the back of the mask is pink and convex. As in the previous example, there is an optical illusion here (the brain is misled rounded shapes and shadows).

2. Luscher test

The method was developed in the 1940s. Swiss psychologist Max Lüscher. The scientist noticed that depending on psycho-emotional state People perceive colors differently.

The Luscher test exists in two versions: short and full.

Short version: the patient comes to the doctor during the day (since natural light is required). The doctor ensures uniformity of lighting and absence of sun glare. The patient is offered numbered cards in eight colors - black, brown, red, yellow, green, gray, blue and purple. His task is to distribute cards in accordance with personal preferences at the current moment, and nothing else.

The full version includes 73 colors ( various shades grey, the eight colors mentioned above and a mix of the four primary colors - red, green, blue and yellow). They are grouped into tables, which are transmitted to the patient one after another. His task is to choose from each table one color that he likes best. After a few minutes, the test is repeated again. This way the doctor will understand what condition the patient is really in, because... for the first time a person chose colors for the state in which he would like to be.

Luscher test video:

What colors do schizophrenics choose?

Most often they prefer colors yellow color. Patients with schizophrenia sluggish form They are indifferent to colors and confuse shades; in progressive cases, they perceive black and red negatively.

Besides, good doctor During testing, he will also look at the colors of the patient’s clothing. You should be wary when observing extremes: inexpressive and boring or bright and incompatible shades.

3. Rorschach test

Another very good test from a Swiss psychologist (they know a lot about “chiz” in Switzerland!). The patient is shown 10 cards with pictures in the form of black and white and color blots; they are presented in strict order. The doctor sets a task - carefully, slowly look at the card and answer the question “What does it look like?” The technique is highly valued by specialists - using it, they not only see the whole picture of a particular person’s psychopathologies, but also receive answers to many personal questions.

Here is a test using one picture as an example:

And here full version with comments:

4. Test drawing

A very revealing test. Schizophrenics, as noted above, confuse colors and shades: their sun may be black (a sign of fear and depression), trees may be purple, and grass may be red.

Instructions

Pay attention to the person's behavioral response. People suffering become withdrawn, isolate themselves from the outside world, and do not like to be in society. They experience high irritability and frequent mood swings. Such individuals are mentally unbalanced. Chat with your friend - the style and manner of conversation changes. Phrases can be short, sharp, and not convey any information. These people cannot concentrate their thoughts on any specific topic.

Observe not only the person’s behavior, but also how he approaches his work and hobbies. This shows negative symptoms. Patients with schizophrenia are characterized by lack of will. Their energy potential is noticeably reduced and they lack initiative. Invite him to do something that previously gave him pleasure. A person suffering from schizophrenia will aimlessly do the same thing, but will never be able to finish the work or task he has started, and will simply abandon it for no reason.

If you notice in such a person the presence of delusional fantasies, paranoid symptoms, and notice severe confusion of speech, this indicates the appearance of secondary signs schizophrenia. They belong to productive symptoms.

Even if you have actually diagnosed schizophrenia early stage diseases, show the patient to a psychiatrist. Or consult any specialist in the field of mental medicine.

Remember that no single symptom alone is sufficient evidence of schizophrenia, as some symptoms may well coexist with others. pathological conditions. To rule out other diseases that may provoke certain mental disorders in your loved one, conduct a detailed neurological and therapeutic examination. This can only be done in inpatient conditions.

The first signs of schizophrenia may appear at a young age, but due to the similarity of symptoms with other mental disorders, they are often left without proper attention and treatment, and only a repetition of attacks characteristic of schizophrenia and noticeable changes individuals may talk about a possible disease that requires immediate treatment.

Instructions

Schizophrenia is one of the most common mental illnesses. Translated, it means “splitting of the soul”, i.e. discrepancy between the patient’s intentions and his capabilities. Initial symptoms illnesses are severe headaches, causeless anxiety And panic fear, obsessive thoughts and phobias, sudden attacks aggression and mood swings. Once cheerful and talkative person may suddenly become withdrawn, absent-minded, with a hostile attitude towards everything that happens.

Depending on the degree of damage to cells, schizophrenia can occur continuously - without a tendency to improve, periodically - manifesting itself in outbreaks, in combination with enlightenment of consciousness, in paroxysms - periodic attacks who are increasingly changing their personality. And also be sluggish - without the manifestation of negative symptoms (except for neurosis-like manifestations: obsessive thoughts, fear) and malignant – with the aggravation of existing diseases and the addition of new ones.

Depending on the form of schizophrenia, it can be:

In the form of delusions – paranoid schizophrenia. She is characterized by delirium, sometimes delirium of jealousy. It is manifested by the suspicion of all surrounding people of malicious intent against the patient or hostility towards him. As the disease progresses, hallucinations appear;
- hallucinations – depressive-paranoid schizophrenia. The first of this form are melancholy with delirium. A persistent state of anxiety appears, a feeling of impending grief or an accident. The patient regresses so much that he begins to talk about his rotting and decomposition of the body;
- excitement – ​​circulatory schizophrenia. This form is characterized by talkativeness and an excited state. The patient becomes confident in his “superpowers” ​​and that he is the “soul” of the company, which is why he allegedly has many envious people and enemies;
- immobilization – catatonic schizophrenia. It is characterized by either increasing immobility or sudden agitation. During immobilization, the patient can stand in a frozen position for hours, refusing to eat and not responding to anyone calling on him. At

We habitually use the name “schizophrenia” to describe a little strange people. “Schizophrenic,” we say, mentally twirling our finger at our temple. Meanwhile, schizophrenia is a mental illness that has long course and is accompanied by inconsistency mental processes, motor skills and increasing personality changes.

Schizophrenia can develop slowly and unnoticed by the patient. The first signs of schizophrenia are usually isolation from society, social isolation, emotional coldness, indifference to loved ones and oneself. appearance, loss of interest in things and events that previously fascinated the patient.

Knowing the symptoms and a number of simple tests will help you recognize a predisposition to schizophrenia.

Mask test

The simplest test for schizophrenia to determine the presence of the disease. We all know what a regular mask looks like. We put it on our face with the concave side, and let others see the convex side. But what happens if we take off the mask and look at it from the outside?

Amazing, right? It seems to us that we see a convex outer side masks, and then it turns out that there is a concave side! What is this, are we really schizophrenic?

Just not! The very fact that we “fall for” this optical illusion is evidence that everything is fine with us.

The point is how our brain works. All ours life experience tells us that the face cannot be concave inward. And the brain “adjusts” the perception picture in such a way that even from the concave side we see a normal, convex face.

But for schizophrenics, things are a little different. In the brains of schizophrenics, the work of genes responsible for contacts between neurons is weakened. Many cognitive functions, such as learning and memory, depend on the interaction between the hippocampus and the prefrontal cortex. Scientific research have shown that disruption of the connection between these areas leads to mental disorders, including schizophrenia. However, the mechanism of the disorder still remained unknown.

Scientists from the University of Bristol studied the neurotransmitters glutamate and dopamine, which are responsible for transmitting signals between the above-mentioned brain regions. Experts found that subtle changes in the interaction of neurotransmitters completely changed the flow of information coming from the hippocampus to the prefrontal cortex.

According to the researchers, due to the hyperactivation of dopamine receptors, the activity of glutamate NMDA receptors decreases. As a result, the connection between the hippocampus and the prefrontal cortex is disrupted. This is why people with schizophrenia see things as they really are. That is, when taking a similar test for schizophrenia, patients see the concave side of the mask.

A mentally healthy person sees with his mind, not with his eyes

When you look at the world, your eyes are not just lenses that coolly record everything that happens. On the contrary, the brain adjusts the picture to the context specific situation. Let's look at another one visual test for schizophrenia. Look at the following optical illusion.

In this case, our brain filters what we see based on what it knows about light and shadow. We perceive a three-dimensional cube floating above a white board until we are shown the underside of the trick. And all because our brain tells us that the cube cannot be concave inward. Patients with schizophrenia lose their holistic perception of the world and focus only on individual parts of the overall picture. Looking at such an illusion, schizophrenics realize that in front of them is a piece of cardboard, concave inward, painted in black and white squares.

“Most patients are diagnosed with schizophrenia in their 20s, but if the disease were diagnosed earlier, patients would receive treatment sooner. Which would have a significant impact on their quality of life,” emphasizes Professor Jacqui de Belleroch from Imperial College London.

Schizophrenia is a disease of adults. However, it begins in adolescence or youth. The disease rarely affects children, and recognizing alarming symptoms on early stages can be more than problematic. And even if the above tests for schizophrenia did not give positive result, it is still worth remembering the first signs of the disease.

The first symptoms of schizophrenia

The first symptoms of schizophrenia can be varied, but in most cases there are still characteristic changes behavior that close people can and should notice. By consulting a doctor in a timely manner and starting treatment, you can stop the development of the disease, maintain social adaptation and avoid serious consequences.

The initial signs of the disease include:

• causeless aggression, anger towards loved ones;
• loss of interests and hobbies previously characteristic of the patient;
• unexpected and illogical ideas and solutions;
• auditory hallucinations (voices giving orders to the patient);
• neuroses (obsessive actions, obsessive fears, disorders of self-perception).

How to recognize schizophrenia in women

Continuing the topic of mental disorders in women, I would like to dwell on a more severe disease than neurosis - schizophrenia. To be honest, this disease always seemed to me to be something that existed, but somewhere out there in another dimension, in hospitals, like the one shown, for example, in the film “Prisoner of the Caucasus” and I never could have thought that it could be so close. I found an interesting article on this topic and I advise everyone to read it

Schizophrenia in women is a chronic mental disorder that affects the emotional and mental sphere and contributes to the formation of a characteristic personality defect.

Some sources write that schizophrenia is less common in women than in men. Y. V. Seiku conducted a study regarding the prevalence of schizophrenia in men and women. He found that slightly more than 8 out of 1,000 women suffer from schizophrenia, and similarly, approximately 8 out of 1,000 men have the disorder. So The likelihood of developing schizophrenia does not depend on gender. I already wrote about how schizophrenia manifests itself in men in a previous article.

CAUSES OF SCHIZOPHRENIA IN WOMEN

Schizophrenia is a disease that is hereditary in nature. The study of the human genetic code made it possible to discover genes responsible for the occurrence of schizophrenia. Moreover, for the development of this disease responds not to one, but to several genes. Therefore, some people, despite having “defective” genes, may not suffer mental disorder, while their children may develop schizophrenia.

The probability of a child developing schizophrenia if one of the parents suffers from this disorder is about 14%, but if both parents are sick, the risk is even higher - 46%.

That is why a doctor, suspecting a woman of schizophrenia, will definitely ask about the presence of mental disorders in close relatives. This can be either schizophrenia or personality disorder, dysthymia, suicide.

Not only heredity matters in development of this disease. Stress, alcohol consumption, psychoactive substances may trigger the onset of a mental disorder.

SCHIZOPHRENIA IN A WOMAN AFTER CHILDREN

In some women, the first signs of schizophrenia appear after childbirth and are regarded as postpartum psychosis. In this case, childbirth is not immediate cause diseases, they only trigger its beginning.

Such a woman had a burdened hereditary background, and hormonal changes, psychological and physical exercise that occur during childbirth and postpartum period, became a trigger. Even if this woman did not give birth, then there is a high probability that sooner or later something else would provoke the occurrence of a mental disorder, because the reason does not lie in external factors, but in the woman herself, her genes.

FIRST SIGNS OF SCHIZOPHRENIA IN WOMEN

Basic age period when schizophrenia begins - 20-25 years. Schizophrenia sometimes occurs in children, adolescents, or after age 30, but it is much less common.

How does schizophrenia manifest in women? The first signs may be:

• obsessions;
• psychopathic behavior;
• hallucinations and delusions;
• sudden aggression, irritability;
• loss of former interests, emotional coldness.

The first signs of schizophrenia in women can be the sudden appearance of obsessive fears, actions, and various absolutely meaningless rituals. For example, this could be counting to ten before entering the house, wiping a chair three times before sitting on it, etc. A person is so immersed in his painful experiences that he does not even pay attention to those around him, their surprised looks, does not see the absurdity of his actions.

The initial signs of a mental disorder may be the appearance of groundless fears about the presence of some somatic disease(hypochondriacal complaints). A woman can describe in every possible way the manifestations of her illness, usually of a fantastic nature. For example, this could be worms that migrate throughout the body, gnawing their way through, or rotting organs, blood flowing through the vessels in the opposite direction, and much more.

If patients with somatoform disorders “invent” symptoms for themselves, they may begin to “feel” new symptoms after communicating with other patients, reading medical literature, then with schizophrenia, patients describe the manifestations of the disease as it seems to them, as it is perceived by their sick subconscious. Most often, such complaints are observed in low-grade schizophrenia.

There may also be a psychopathic onset of the disease. Some women begin to behave, laugh loudly, attracting attention to themselves, or, conversely, cry, behave unnaturally. And it becomes not isolated case, and is often repeated.

Sometimes this mental disorder debuts with the phenomena of depersonalization. At the same time, the woman begins to say that she has changed a lot, that a complete stranger is looking at her from the mirror, that these are not her arms, legs, nose, face, body...

HALLUCINATIONS AND DELUSIONS

Sometimes schizophrenia begins acutely, with the appearance of hallucinations and delusional ideas. The most common are auditory hallucinations. The woman begins to feel that someone is calling out to her, commenting on her actions, behavior, and discussing her.

There may even be 2 voices (like God and the devil), when one voice condemns, criticizes, and the second, on the contrary, stands up for her. More dangerous are auditory hallucinations of an imperative nature (orders are given); such voices are very difficult to resist. Under the influence of such hallucinatory experiences, the patient can commit self-harming actions and pose a danger to others.

Another manifestation of schizophrenia in women is delusional ideas. Characterized by delusions of persecution, influence, relationships, jealousy, physical handicap :

• Delusions of persecution are manifested by the fact that a woman begins to claim that someone is watching her (neighbors, employees), stalking her. Ordinary passers-by walking behind are perceived as secret service agents, the woman begins to be afraid to leave the house, to enter the elevator or entrance herself;
• delirium of causeless jealousy - the patient begins to be jealous of her husband without any objective reason. She can list her friend, her husband’s employee, her neighbor, or anyone else as her husband’s mistress. One patient in our hospital, during periods of exacerbation, believed that her attending physician (a woman) was her husband’s mistress and was deliberately keeping her in the hospital. She even threw herself at the doctor and tried to strangle her. When the exacerbation of schizophrenia passed, the patient realized the falsity of her beliefs;
• delusions of influence are one of the most characteristic symptoms schizophrenia in women. It seems to the patient that someone is controlling her thoughts, “putting” them into her head with the help of magic, invisible rays;
• delusion of attitude is manifested by the fact that a woman is sure that everyone around her is discussing her, criticizing her, laughing at her;
• delirium of physical handicap - suddenly a woman begins to find signs of deformity in herself. A small, beautifully shaped nose is perceived by the patient as huge. A woman who is thin by all standards and formulas begins to consider herself overly fat, goes on a diet, and does not eat anything. No logical arguments can dissuade her.

On initial stages In schizophrenia, anger, unreasonable aggression may appear, the patient may experience negative feelings exclusively to loved ones and loving people, sometimes emotional splitting occurs when a woman experiences both hatred and love for the same person.

STAGES OF DISEASE

Conventionally, several stages of schizophrenia in women can be distinguished:

• stage initial manifestations when the disease is just beginning, only individual symptoms are present;
• advanced stage - the blossoming of a mental disorder, many symptoms of the disease are determined;
• stage of the defect - hallucinations, delusions, and neurosis-like manifestations are replaced by personality changes, apathy, and mental disorders.

The disease does not always proceed according to this pattern; in some patients emotional disturbances are present from the onset of the disease and only increase over time. In some forms of schizophrenia there may be no hallucinations or delusions.

SIGNS OF SCHIZOPHRENIA IN BEHAVIOR

In some cases you can find following signs schizophrenia in women in behavior: emotional flattening, coldness, loss of previous interests occurs. Can sit in one place for a long time, doing nothing.

How to recognize schizophrenia in a woman? If the illness lasts for a long time, this will not be difficult.

Such a woman becomes emotionless, she is not interested in anything, even what concerns her personally. She becomes untidy, stops taking care of herself, washing, and cooking. She may wear sloppy or vulgar make-up or refuse to use cosmetics at all. He may drop out of school, quit his job, or simply stop going to work. If there is a husband and children, then she can neglect them and her responsibilities towards them.

LEADING SYMPTOMS OF SCHIZOPHRENIA IN A WOMAN

It is not delusions, nor hallucinations, nor even aggression that are the most severe manifestations of mental disorder. The worst thing is the personal changes that occur. Schizophrenia is a relentlessly progressive disease. Over time, a person loses himself, his own personality. Emotions are lost: joy, fun, sadness, hatred, anger. All that remains is apathy.

A woman suffering from schizophrenia for a long time is not interested in anything: neither her husband, nor children, nor work. It's hardest for children. After all, they need love, support, care, encouragement, and mother cannot give them this. After all, she is filled with indifference. Yes, she can do something if necessary, if you ask her about it, but deep down she is not interested in all this.

Indifference often extends to traditionally female responsibilities. And therefore, many patients are unkempt, they may smell bad, their hair is not combed, the house is not cleaned and food is not prepared.

Catatonic symptoms may also occur and are characteristic of the catatonic form of schizophrenia. A woman may freeze in one position (sometimes very uncomfortable), remain silent, not respond to calls to her, not eat or drink. Sometimes patients copy someone’s movements, statements, and may passively obey someone’s instructions.

Not immediately, but after some time from the onset of the disease (usually months or years pass), changes in the area of ​​thinking appear. A person can come up with new words, naming familiar things with them, symbolism appears in thinking (statements are filled with a new meaning and can mean something completely different). There may be florid expressions and long, fruitless philosophies. A peculiar slippage may attract attention: when you talk to a person about one thing, and he suddenly jumps to a completely different topic without any transition. In advanced cases, only individual phrases that are not related to each other are identified in the speech of patients.

Despite the ongoing changes affecting thinking and the emotional-volitional sphere, intelligence remains at the same level. The woman remembers all the skills and knowledge acquired before the onset of the disease and can apply them if she is encouraged to do so.

TREATMENT OF SCHIZOPHRENIA IN WOMEN

The leading group of drugs used to treat schizophrenia in women are antipsychotics. Antidepressants, nootropics, thymostabilizers, and vitamins can also be used, but their role is secondary.

Neuroleptics act in the following directions: they help eliminate hallucinatory experiences, delusional ideas, catatonic manifestations, and aggression. Typical neuroleptics have this effect - tizercin, triftazine, haloperidol, aminazine.

However, there are still much more complex symptoms- changes in emotional and cognitive spheres. Stopping their development is much more difficult. To slow down the growth of a personality defect, use atypical antipsychotics- quetiapine, risperidone, olanzapine. However, even these drugs are not able to completely stop the progression of the disease.

Treatment of schizophrenia in women should be long-term. Stage active therapy, aimed at eliminating acute manifestations of the disease, usually lasts a month or two. This is followed by a stage of stabilizing treatment: the doses of used antipsychotics are reduced, the resulting effect is consolidated. It lasts about 3 months. To avoid relapses of schizophrenia and progression of the disease, it is necessary to continue maintenance treatment for at least six months (and sometimes more).

Besides drug therapy after acute manifestations mental disorder will be stopped, patients with schizophrenia need social adaptation and psychotherapy. It is necessary that a person can find for himself suitable job or returned to the previous one so that close people would support him.

Lifestyle





How to identify a latent form of schizophrenia

Is it possible to suffer from a latent form of schizophrenia without knowing it? Yes. But is there any hope for healing if the disease is detected? And the answer again is yes.

Psychiatrists H. Osmond and A. Hoffer developed a test - how to determine hidden form schizophrenia, which confirms changes in perceptions, thoughts and moods that usually signify the onset of schizophrenia. In the simplified test presented below, any healthy person can test themselves.

Test - how to identify a latent form of schizophrenia, does not necessarily accurately prove the presence or absence of a disease. No one has the right to diagnose schizophrenia in themselves or anyone else. However, a real test may alert you to the possibility of danger. How more quantity points you gain, the more important it is for you to consult with a doctor as soon as possible, who can determine the biochemical, physical and physiological reasons your bad condition.

The questions are simple and unusual, but they characterize initial signs health disorders.

If you score more than 30 points, this is already a warning that you need to consult a doctor.

If more than 60 points, this is a signal indicating the need for urgent help.

Notably, teenagers, although mentally healthy, can often score high.



Symptoms: visual sensations

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Instant test for schizophrenia. Check yourself and your loved ones!

If you're looking for a test that can instantly detect schizophrenia, check out this amazing optical illusion.



The Chaplin Mask test was first proposed and described by British psychologist and professor of neuropsychology Richard Gregory in scientific work"Meaning and illusions of perception." Exploring the difference between the perceptions of schizophrenics and healthy people, this neuropsychologist came to the conclusion that human perception is directly dependent on thinking processes based on past experience.

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The more knowledge a person has about the perceived situation, the less often he needs to process new information. If a person is mentally healthy, his past experience begins to play a leading role in perception.

As is known, schizophrenia is accompanied by impaired cognitive processes, as a result of which patients suffering from schizophrenia are not susceptible to various visual illusions. Therefore, observing optical illusions helps to find out how adequately a person perceives the world.
Instructions

Take a close look at this rotating mask. How do you see her? Do you notice any strange things? Remember how you felt while watching.

Interpretation

So congratulations, you've just passed the test for schizophrenia!

This test is interesting because in this case, distortion of reality and self-deception are signs of a healthy psyche. If Chaplin's mask seemed strange to you (convex on both sides), then you can be completely calm, you are an absolutely mentally healthy person!

We initially see Charlie Chaplin's face on outside masks. However, when the mask begins to rotate, our visual system doesn't want to perceive inner part masks are like a “hollow” face because the brain normal person misperceives shadows and light on the concave side of the mask. The downward flow of information (our idea of ​​what shape a face should have) is in dissonance with the upward flow (sensory signal). Descending knowledge always has an advantage in a mentally healthy person, so a face that is actually convex seems concave to us, and vice versa.

So it turns out that a healthy person, taking this test, sees a strange face, convex on both sides.

The brain of a schizophrenic cannot be deceived by an optical illusion - for him the mask always remains concave. The reason why schizophrenics do not perceive optical illusions has not yet been fully elucidated. There is a hypothesis that this is due to in a special way processing of visual information and recognition of visual images.

Therefore, if you just can’t see the pink convex mask rotating in reverse side, please consult a specialist.

In any case, do not panic - it has been proven that this optical illusion It also does not affect people under the influence of alcohol and drugs, as well as people under severe stress.

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How to recognize a schizophrenic?



Only an experienced psychiatrist can accurately determine that there is an abnormal person in front of him. However, it is still worthwhile for any of us to know how to recognize a schizophrenic, because this disease can affect a family member, which means it will be necessary to determine whether to seek medical help for a person close to us.

How to recognize a schizophrenic by their behavior?

There are several signs by which you can understand that a loved one needs health care. Psychiatrists advise paying attention to the following aspects of human behavior:

1. Refusal of social contacts, desire to constantly stay in an apartment or room.
2. Lack of interest in any activities. This can also be expressed in the following way - a person abruptly begins to say that he doesn’t like anything and that he doesn’t have any desires.
3. Constant complaints of fatigue and headache, may also be a sign mental illness.
4. Expressing strange and frightening ideas, such as that everything in the world is meaningless or that everything is predetermined.
5. Failure to perform household duties. Sick people often do not understand why they need to clean the house or why it is necessary to prepare food.
6. Neglect of personal hygiene. Often schizophrenics do not want to take a shower, change clothes or wash their hair. This is especially evident in women.
7. The appearance of delusions or hallucinations. This is the surest sign by which schizophrenia can be identified. But often the disease can proceed without its appearance.

Oddities in behavior will help both recognize schizophrenia and quickly seek the help that is necessary, even if we're talking about about depression, not about the mental illness already mentioned. Unfortunately, not all people know that a sudden change in a person's interests can indicate serious problems.

How to recognize schizophrenia in men?

Men are more likely than women to suffer from this disease. You can determine the onset of the disease in a guy based on the signs already listed above; they will help both recognize schizophrenia in women and identify it in men.

Still, you shouldn’t be scared, even if you notice all the symptoms listed above in a person close to you. Often these signs may indicate depression, chronic fatigue or nervous breakdown. But it is still necessary to consult a doctor. These illnesses also require specialist intervention, just like schizophrenia.

Understanding how to recognize a schizophrenic among others is very important. And not at all in order to avoid this person or make fun of him. Schizophrenia is a mental disorder that can greatly change consciousness and even force a person to take actions that are unusual for him, sometimes life-threatening. Once you determine that someone has symptoms of schizophrenia, you can promptly provide them with qualified diagnostics, observation by a psychologist or medical assistance.

To determine whether a person is schizophrenic, you need to know how schizophrenia manifests itself. But there is one nuance here. Most of the symptoms of this disease are significantly enhanced behaviors of healthy people. After all, every person has anxiety or aggression. In a healthy person, these types of behavior are normal. In a schizophrenic they either go beyond the norm, that is, they have pathological nature, or manifest themselves inadequately, not corresponding to the situation.

It is important to understand that schizophrenia is a diagnosis, not a definition of strange people. Therefore, in no case should you take responsibility by calling a person schizophrenic. Only a doctor can determine this. A person incompetent in this matter can only assume the presence of a disease and recommend visiting a specialist.

To know how a person suffering from schizophrenia differs from healthy people, it is necessary to determine the main signs of schizophrenia in adults and children. Because accurate diagnosis it cannot be diagnosed during visual contact with a person; attention should be paid to the most striking manifestations of the disease.

Main manifestations of schizophrenia

One of the main manifestations of schizophrenia is the presence of hallucinations in a person. They can be not only visual, but also auditory. Moreover, the second option is much more common. Patients often hear voices or dialogues in their heads. Usually they are illogical and can push a person to commit rash and non-standard actions.

When such a symptom appears, schizophrenics are usually unaware of the true nature of these voices. They believe that aliens or deities are talking to them, for example. They are confident in the correctness of all those actions that are imposed on them, even if it is jumping from a roof, etc.

Hallucinations in schizophrenia may also be accompanied by absurd and confused thoughts, called delusions. It represents the presence of illogical statements in which the schizophrenic sees clearly formulated thoughts. Sometimes such delusions can be of a paranoid nature. In this case, the patient feels that he is being persecuted, that they want to kill him or take him to some world he himself has imagined.

Another version of delusion may be exalting oneself or someone from the environment. A schizophrenic may talk enthusiastically about being a messenger who will save the world, or secret agent from another planet. All these stories will be intrusive, and if people around them reveal a lack of trust in these ideas, the patient may show strong aggression.

In addition, delusion can manifest itself in the form of jealousy. Having this symptom, a schizophrenic will be pathologically jealous of his partner. He will confidently talk about his significant other’s love affairs with a neighbor, a janitor, a salesman at a nearby store, etc. It is often impossible to convince such a person otherwise.

A symptom of schizophrenia can also be the identification of a hyper-significant personality by a person suffering from this disease. She may not only be a family member or acquaintance. It could be stranger, whom the schizophrenic will consider his master, mentor. He will be ready to unquestioningly carry out his instructions, believing in their righteousness. Because of this, the patient can become very vulnerable and fall under the influence of others.

All these symptoms characterize the most complex and profound form of the disease. Their manifestation may indicate a high percentage of probability of a person having the disease. But there are other types of schizophrenia, which differ in other signs and symptoms. They usually appear less intensely. Thus, in the first stage of schizophrenia, patients are often characterized by inappropriate behavior without visible disorders of consciousness.

Peculiarities of behavior of schizophrenics

To the main behavioral features of people suffering mild form schizophrenia include the following:

• apathy towards people around you and work activity;
• isolation and reluctance to communicate;
• sudden and unreasonable outbursts of aggression;
• catatonia.

This list is far from complete, since schizophrenia has many more behavioral changes. However, many of them border so much on the norm that it is impossible to identify pathological character almost impossible.

One of the most striking manifestations of schizophrenia is apathy. It can affect absolutely all areas of a person’s life. A person may become indifferent to communicating with other people, lose interest in activities that he was previously passionate about, and give up work or study. At the same time, a person does not feel the need to communicate with the outside world, he withdraws into himself and is ready to be completely alone for days. This state seems comfortable to him.

Vivid signs of schizophrenia

Aggression may also be a sign of schizophrenia. Moreover, it is usually spontaneous and does not depend in any way on the situation in which the patient is. Such aggression is not controlled by a schizophrenic. In this state, he can easily harm both himself and others.

Subsequently, he may not even remember what happened to him. In order to somehow explain these actions to themselves, schizophrenics give them a defensive character. They believe that this is the only way they can protect themselves from external threats. Moreover, these threats can sometimes be absurd. The patient may believe that some object or even color is causing him harm. He will avoid him in every possible way and be afraid of meeting him, considering it a mortal threat.

The catatonic state as a manifestation of schizophrenia is movement disorder. It may be characterized by continuous movements that may develop into obsessive-compulsive disorder. Having this symptom, the patient constantly makes some movements, which are often meaningless. He may walk in circles around the room, fingering beads, or washing his hands.

Another option is catatonic stupor. In this case, the schizophrenic freezes in some position, which can be completely uncomfortable and unnatural. The patient can remain in this position for several hours without responding to calls to him. Of course, this condition can also be a consequence of stress, but if it is systematic, then we can speak with great confidence about the presence of schizophrenia. This symptom answers the question of how to recognize schizophrenia.

All these manifestations and symptoms enable anyone to understand how to recognize a schizophrenic among healthy people. However, they are not the last resort for making a diagnosis. They can only indicate the presence of a mental illness, including schizophrenia, and become a prerequisite for visiting a psychiatrist or psychologist.

At the first manifestations of these symptoms in loved one You should immediately consult a doctor for advice.

You cannot delay with this issue, as you can aggravate the condition when the first stage of schizophrenia develops into an incurable pathology.